Last year while reading Steve Jobs official biography by Walter Isaacson, I came across the real angst that Apple had against Google regarding Android. Apprently, Steve Jobs felt that Android had ripped off Apple’s iPhone device.
It is also a well known fact that the Android OS, underwent a transformation for sorts after the iPhone was released. Most developers agree that Android has pretty much ripped off the look and feel of iPhone in recent years.
A blogger Steven Troughton Smith, managed to get his hands on a pre-iPhone Android device called ‘Sooner’.
Ever wondered what Android looked like before iPhone was released? Well here it is.
This is the main screen of the phone.
What was Android like in the pre-iPhone era?
Simple. Android OS seemed to be resembling Blackberry phones a lot more than say iPhones. This was because the ‘look and feel’ of the BlackBerry phone with physical keys was more popular, back in 2007.
When iPhone was released and became the next big thing, while making it necessary that all smartphones become touch screen phones, Android today resembles the iOS layout a lot more. 🙂
It must be noted, that Google was never really looking to create a phone device and hence had to cater their OS for what manufacturers would actually want. If Blackberry was setting the standard with its layout back then, Android had to resemble it a lot more to interest manufacturers to adopt Android. The same for iPhone which set the standard for how touch-screens phones should be.
What are your views on the iPhone vs Android debate? Which do you prefer? Do drop in your comments.
20 Comments
Ah well.. its said that good artists copy and great artists steal.. However, having said that, I must say that Google could have innovated more. Anyways, these lines from his autobiography sum it all: “Well, Steve, I think there’s more than one way of looking at it. I think it’s more like we both had this rich neighbor named Xerox and I broke into his house to steal the TV set and found out that you had already stolen it.”
Excellent dialogue Mohul..I guess this is from the movie Pirates Of Silicon Valley?
Steve Jobs made a deal with xerox(worth $1 million)that he could use whatever he saw at PARC so it wasn’t stealing. While Bill Gates copied mac OS which was shown to him as a software developer for mac.
it looks ugly
😀
I believe its not apple’s right to own a user interface, I mean, its just like a person will someday copyright a style of walking and then everyone else will have to walk differently or pay for walking the way they walked before……..
so in my views google did nothing wrong in going with the wind and changing the user interface as it was required for them to stay in the market and for sure it simply “Looks Cool”
Android OS simply much more effective. Excellent work.Thank you .
ANDROID is just copying the Mobile os concepts from Blackberry and iphone.
Nope. A copy means to be equal. Android is a development from iphone and BlB.
Perhaps it is a copy from Blackberry and iphone, but it works and fine. i have used both and i prefer android.
what ever but today’s truth is Android has a market and growing strategy ! Android also help developer , and encourage to earn money has Google has Big Ad Market over the Internet ! As user need free freewares or open-source , Android allows to integrate Ads to feed developer 😛
I prefer Android simply because it isn’t made by Apple.
Jordon , apple is the god of GUI then Android came into pictures ! But best part is Android is Open Source and Free ,as no need to learn new programming language So Android is Best ever for development 😛
What reason is that? Why hate Apple (without any reason) when it is the best. Apple started it all whether it be Personal Computers, Smartphones or Tablet Computing. All these words are said today only because of “Apple Inc.” You know what, I am really very happy that Steve Jobs is now in heaven because if now he would see such guys like you, he would really be very sad.
Yeah. Apple invented everything, H*ll Appleis God!
(The RDF is strong with this one)
Great post!! In the begining, androids looked like a blackberry. Steve Jobs was just angry that Google, a far superior company in my opinion, was going to start competing against him. Way to go google!!
good to know it looks more like the earlier blackberry os!
My choice has always been with android. (I bricked my SII twice while checking out all those cyanogen mod :D). Bdw, does android really resemble the look & feel of iOS? In fact I would say, the look and feel of any stock android device actually depends on the launcher. What do you think?
not amazing looking 🙁
Nice, but I hate phones that have the keyboard exposed like that..
Wow the phone looks cool but kinda chinese stuff